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Screening of 1,080 Kuwaiti male blood donors for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency revealed this condition in 70 (6.5%) individuals. Mutation analysis of all 70 G6PD deficient samples performed by PCR/RFLP and direct sequencing identified the 563C-->T (Mediterranean) in 72.9%, 202G-->A (A(-)) in 14.3%, 1003G-->A (Chatham) in 7.1%, and 143T-->C (Aures) in 1.4%. In 3 cases (4.3%) mutations remain unknown. Genotyping of all G6PD deficient samples for UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1 (UDPGT1) gene promoter polymorphism revealed (ta)6/(ta)6 in 38.6%, (ta)7/(ta)7 in 15.7%, (ta)6/(ta)7 in 44.3%, and (ta)7/(ta)8 allele in 1.4% of cases. Thus, 4% of males in the Kuwaiti population have G6PD deficiency coexisting with low activity of the UDPGT1 promoter.

The frequencies of three mutations conferring resistance to HIV/AIDS were determined in a population sample of native Kuwaitis. The CCR2-641, SDF1-3'A, and CCR5-m303 mutations were detected by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) tests using restriction endonucleases Bsa BI, Msp I, and Hinc II, respectively. The frequency of the mutant alleles were: for CCR2-641, 0.1195 (95% CI 0.0801-0.1694); for SDF1-3'A, 0.2593 (95% CI 0.2024-0.3231), and for CCR5-m303, less than 0.0025. Thus, the CCR2-641 and especially SDF1-3'A mutations are sufficiently common in Arabs and can be used for prognostic genotyping in HIV-infected individuals from the Gulf countries.

DNA samples from 206 unrelated Kuwaitis of both sexes, i.e. 200 randomly selected individuals and 6 glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase (G6PD)-deficient probands, have been analyzed by the PCR/RFLP technique for mutations underlying the most common G6PD-deficient variants (Mediterranean and A-). At the first step all samples were studied for the 563C-->T and 376A-->G mutations, then the samples positive for 376A-->G were further analyzed for 202G-->A, 680G-->T and 968T-->C mutations. Three mutations (563C-->T, 376A-->G and 202G-->A) were found to be present in the Kuwaiti population at polymorphic frequencies (0.0503, 0.0215 and 0.0111, respectively). Nineteen out of 20 unrelated Kuwaiti chromosomes with 563C-->T had Mediterranean haplotype as judged by 1311C-->T polymorphism. The frequency of G6PD-deficient genotypes was 4.5% (5.73% in males and 2.56% in females).

The 32 nucleotide deletion in the CCR-5 chemokine receptor gene referred to as deltaccr-5 has been shown to confer resistance to HIV-1. Using PCR, 1,105 human subjects and 33 common chimpanzees were genotyped attributing them to one of the three possible genotypes: wild-type homozygote (w/w); deltaccr-5 homozygote (deltaccr-5/deltaccr-5) and deltaccr-5/wild-type heterozygotes (deltaccr-5/w). The ethnic groups investigated included different Middle Eastern nationalities (mainly Arab) and Russians. Carriers of the deltaccr-5 mutation were found among Arabs, Iranians and Russians. The highest frequency of the mutation was seen in Russians (24.4% of the deltaccr-5 heterozygotes, allele frequency-0.1221). Surprisingly, the only deltaccr-5 homozygote identified in our study was an Egyptian. The origin of the deltaccr-5 mutation in the Middle Eastern populations, both Arab and non-Arab, is most probably due to a gene flow from the Europeans. The frequency of the deltaccr-5 mutation in Russians is one of the highest known. It might be one of the factors contributing to a relatively slow pace of increase in the incidence of sexually acquired HIV infection in Russia. None of the chimpanzees tested was positive for deltaccr-5. Interestingly, the DNA sequence of the chimpanzee CCR-5 gene in the region including the site of the deltaccr-5 mutation, and flanking areas, was virtually identical to the homologous human sequence, only two mismatches (silent substitutions) were found.

Serum and peripheral blood leukocytes from the chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) of the colony of the Laboratory of Central Nervous System Studies, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, were tested for the presence of STLV-I-specific antibodies and proviral DNA. Antibodies were determined by gelatin particle agglutination and Western blot (WB) assays utilizing HTLV-I antigens. Proviral DNA was detected by four PCR assays targeting three different regions of STLV-I genome: the fragments of the env and pol genes and LTR. Twenty of twenty-two DNA samples from WB-positive animals were PCR positive. None of the DNA samples from WB-negative (n = 5) and WB-indeterminate (n = 4) animals was PCR positive. The results of the nested and double nested env PCR tests were fully concordant; the seminested LTR PCR test was much less sensitive. The DNA sequences from the env (483 bp) and the pol (200 bp) genes and LTR (705 bp) were determined for six, two, and two chimpanzee STLV-I isolates, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that chimpanzee STLV-I isolates can be attributed to three clades. The first of these clades (SS-PTR1/CSA) included STLV-I isolates from the chimpanzees and West African subspecies of African green monkeys (Cercopithecus a. sabaeus). The other clades (S-PTR2 and S-PTR3) included STLV-I isolates only from chimpanzees. However, both S-PTR2 and S-PTR3 clustered together with Central African HTLV-I comprising the human/simian clade (HS-HSA/PTR). This pattern of phylogenetic clustering suggests that interspecies transmission of STLV-I occurred between chimpanzees and African green monkey subspecies as well between chimpanzees and human populations in Central Africa.

The Taq1 polymorphism in the 3' flanking region of the PI gene has been reported to be associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We have studied the frequency of the Taq1 polymorphism in 117 Kuwaiti Arabs and 110 Russians using PCR/RFLP. The frequency of this polymorphism was found to be 0.235 in the Arabs and 0.027 in the Russians. Such a striking difference in allele frequencies could be due to a 'founder effect' in the Kuwaiti population. However: it may also be that this mutation provides a selective advantage, thus accounting for its fixation at a rather high frequency in some populations. Our results suggest that ethnic composition is a very important factor which should be taken into consideration when studying the association of the Taq1 polymorphism with COPD.

The continuous lymphoblastoid cell lines KMPG-1 and SPG-2 producing baboon herpes virus (HVP) with morphological signs of herpes viruses have been established from haematopoietic organs of lymphomatous baboons. As distinct from H.simplex type I and II viruses HVP is not pathogenic for laboratory rodents. According to its physico-chemical and immunological properties HVP is related to the Epstein-Barr virus.